


I've Been Working On A Better Me

by Copycatrose



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossmare - Freeform, Drink, M/M, Master/Slave, OOC Cross, Sanscest - Freeform, Slavery, cross cries alot, cross/nightmare - Freeform, ink/dream - Freeform, master dream, master nightmare, needy cross, ooc ink, slave cross, slave ink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copycatrose/pseuds/Copycatrose
Summary: Nightmare is a loner and has trouble interacting with others. Dream tries to help him but nothing he does ever works and he starts to worry about nightmare being alone in his apartment all the time. With nightmare working from home, he never really goes outside unless dream pulls him out. Dream notices nightmare getting worse and worse. So, he does something he normally wouldn’t want to even be associated with but he really believes this will help nightmare.Nightmares birthday is coming up and Dream ordered something for him that he believes will help nightmare come out of his shell. You can imagine Nightmares surprise when Dream presents him with a frightened and whimpering skeleton that’s clinging on to his side.





	I've Been Working On A Better Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one shot but i might make it longer because this idea wont leave me alone.  
> i adore Crossmare with a passion, i apologize the characters might be a little ooc. i made Cross more submissive than normal but it fits the slavery au.  
> feel free to let me know if there's any grammar or spelling mistakes.  
> that's about all i wanted to say so enjoy!

Dream was starting to worry about nightmare, he’s been isolating himself a lot lately. Especially now that he works from home, he doesn’t have a reason to leave the house. Nightmare has been getting worse and worse as the days go by, every time Dream sees him, he's a little more drained than the last. This can't go on any longer, so Dream has to go to drastic measures to help him. Dream decided that getting Nightmare a companion would be the best course of action, having a companion would force him to take care of someone else. It would make him interact with other people, most people have to have their companions socialize with others, so in turn this would make Nightmare interact with others as well.

 Him and Nightmare are strongly against companions because they’re broken so bad that most of them can’t live unless someone is taking care of them. Companions are mostly poor people with no way to pay off their debt so, they are forced to become a companion. Some people even sell their loved ones to become one because the demand is so high. The people are put through such intensive ‘training’ that by time they’re done, they have some extreme issues from it. The issues don’t seem to stop people from adopting them, if anything people seem to like the ones with issue more. 

They probably get some kind of pleasure knowing their companion can't take care of themselves without help. It doesn’t matter how much Dream is against it, they’re still extremely popular and even he can't deny that companions improve a lot of people's lives. It was proven that they’re more beneficial to people than having a dog or cat. As much as he’d hate to admit it, getting Nightmare a companion might be the only way to help his brother out of his shell again.

Dream decides to go to a local shop to adopt one for Nightmare, seeing as his birthday is coming up and, in the end, this will help him get better. The shop is pretty popular here, once he walks inside the first thing he is greeted with Is walls of cages. They seem big enough to accommodate people but it's still concerning that these people are being kept in cages. Well, it's more like a room with bars than a cage but at leaset the insides of the rooms look comfortable and are not just bare. He looked around to see who was working there and found a human employee,

“Oh hello there, how can I help you?” She asked

“Hello, I was looking to adopt a companion for my brother.” Dream forces out, despite doing this, that doesn’t mean he isn't still uncomfortable with it.

“Oh do you have any idea what type your brother would be interested in?” She replied. Dream knew some had different training but he didn’t know much about the types at all.

“I-uh, i don’t really know much about the types.” Dream shyly says.

“That's fine, Oh wait! Here, this is a list of the different types and what kind of person they work best with. Most of them fit into the descriptions but there are a few exceptions, but I'll let you know if they do when you meet them.” She says back handing Dream a clip board, before continuing, “Each companion also has a clipboard with information on it, so you can know more about the ones you are interested in.”

Dream looks at the board and all the different types and can instantly see ones that won't work well with Nightmare, such as,

**_Servant_ ** _\- This type of companion works more as a maid or butler and normally are the ones who takes care of their owner. They thrive_ _off of_ _being order around, and don’t require as much attention or care as the other types. Servants are the most independent type of companion and do not need an owner to fend for themselves. They are often-_

That’s all Dream needed to read to be able to tell this isn’t the type for Nightmare, he needs someone he can take care of. Getting this type will just defeat the purpose for adopting one. If they didn’t need to be taken care of Nightmare will probably ignore them. The next one didn’t look they would match either,

**_Brat –_ ** _A Brat normally pushes their owner and teds to_ _misbehave_ _or prod at_ _their_ _owners, they need someone strict and dominant to put them in their place. They will see how far they can push their owners,_ _especially_ _if they don’t_ _enforce_ _rules -_

Nightmare defiantly won't appreciate that kind of behavior, he’s not much for lectures or punishment. He would either try and return them or they would walk all over him because he couldn’t be bothered to enforce rules. Dream kept skimming the list, most of them seemed like they would fit Nightmare at all. Stars, this is more difficult than he thought. There has to be one type that nightmare would like, he knows Nightmare likes docile partners, well at least from what Dream has seen. After a while a skimming he finally finds one that he thinks would be perfect for his brother.

**_Pet/Lover_ ** _\- This companion is the most docile and_ _dependent_ _,_ _they are_ _called either pets or lovers because of how the owner sees them. They normally do not speak unless given permission from their_ _owner._ _It's_ _not advised to not ignore this type, they are very_ _sensitive_ _and will become very_ _distraught_ _if they feel like they’re not wanted-_

That’s about all Dream had to see to tell this is the perfect one for Nightmare.

“Did you decide on which one you would like to look at?” The employee asks once she saw him look u from the clipboard.

“Yeah, could I see the Pet/Lover type?” Dream asks.

“Of course! Follow me.” She says smiling, she motions for Dream to follow. She takes him into the back of the store past all the companions up front, “We keep those types farther in the back, being up front tends to scare them.”

They finally reach about 10 ‘rooms in the back, “There are only 10 because they need a lot of attention and care. Our store isn't big enough to have more than that. We have a hard time keeping them calm but feel free to look them over. If you want inside the rooms just ask.”

There was another employee sitting near one of the cages reading a book. Dream wondered why but decided it wasn’t important enough. Dream walks up to the first ‘room’ and looked inside to see a skeleton with...a paint smear on his face? The skeleton just looked back at him with a blank-ish look before huffing and turning around to lay down on his bed, with his back to Dream. Wow, rude. Then he sees a clipboard on the wall. He picks it up and starts to read. 

_Name: Ink_

_Age:28_

_Species: Skeleton_

_Type: Pet/Lover_

_Ink, while being docile,_ _can be difficult t_ _o_ _deal with. Despite his_ _training_ _he is still slightly_ _defiant_ _but will listen to_ _whoever_ _is his owner. He is to an extent_ _pretty_ _apathetic_ _and distanced from showing emotions, due to his_ _training. Even though he is clingy, he_ _won't_ _let his owner know this. He is still in the late stages of training_ _which_ _is why he may_ _misbehave_ _, but with a firm hand and setting ground rules from an_ _intended_ _owner should be enough to keep him in his place. He shows_ _signs_ _of being a Brat type but_ _it's_ _just him trying to ward off_ _potential_ _owners. He shouldn’t be too hard to take care of and is very loving bu_ _t_ _just needs the right owner._

This one seems interesting but he would need someone a little more emotional starting off. He’s sure Nightmare would like him but he isn't too sure about this one yet. The employee comes up to Dream, “would you like to see this one?” She asks. Dream thinks about it for a moment but thought why not. “Yeah.”

She unlocks the door for Dream before moving out of the way, “Ink is a little....well just hold him, he won't admit it but he loves to be held!” 

Dream walks inside and Ink doesn’t seem to care until Dream got closer, then he lets out a small growl. Dream ignores him and starts to pull him up off the bed, Ink tries to push Dream away but he pulls Ink close to his body. “N-no.” Ink whimpers out. 

He doesn’t seem to like Dream much. Ink stops fighting back and just lays in Dreams arms whimpering and whining. Dream thought he was one of the most adorable things he has ever seen. Ink might not be right for Nightmare, but Dream thinks Ink might be right for himself. Great. Now he’s seeing why some people like companions, Stars he’s a mess. What does he look like doing this after being against it for so long, but having this cute creature in his arms is making him second guess. He’s brought out of thought by Ink getting restless and trying to lay back down, Dream chuckles at his struggling.

“You’re just precious, aren't you?” After Dream asks this Ink relaxes against his chest. He moves his hands up to hold onto Dreams sholders and lightly starts purring, rubbing against him.

“Huh? You like that? I'll call you precious if you want me to.”

Dream puts Ink back down on the bed and moves away, Ink gets huffy at this and turning away like he was being rejected. Dream just smiles and rubs Inks arm, “Don’t worry precious, I’ll be back for you.”

Dream walks out of the room as the employee closes the door, “I think you found a pet for yourself! Now you have to find one for that brother of yours.” She says as Dream starts looking at the other rooms. “It’s certainly not what I expected but he’s just too precious to leave here.” 

He looks over the other clipboards and he gets a little more discouraged as he goes on. Nightmare wouldn’t like any of them, he was ready to quit but he finally got to the last one and read the creatures history.

_Name: Cross_

_Age: 20_

_Species_ _: skeleton_

_Type: lover_ _/pet_

_Cross was trained to be extrem_ _e_ _ly docile, because of this he has developed severe_ _autophobia_ _due to the type of training._ _Autophobia is an overwhelming fear of being alone or isolated._ _He was left in isolation for months on end with little to no contact with others in order to break his determined spirit, it worked but he_ **** **_cannot_ ** **** _be left alone for long periods of time. It is recommended to only ‘adopt’ him if the intended owner has enough time and patients to take care of him. It is advised to work from home or leave him with someone who can watch over him while the owner is at work. Cross is unlike the other types of companions, he is way more dependent and unable to take care of himself. It is also recommended to introduce him to other companions. He cannot handle rough treatment, he is meant to be a cherished pet or to be a ‘lover’ if that is what the owner wants. He is very well behaved and will listen to most orders._

_Cross may be_ _docile,_ _but he is very clingy and even if being ordered not to he_ _can't_ _help but cling to who he_ _believes_ _is his owner._

“could I see this one?”

She moves and opens the door to let Dream inside, the small skeleton inside is curled up on the bed. Once Cross seems to realize someone else is there he shoots off the bed and into dreams arms, knocking them both to the ground. Cross shoves his head into Dreams chest and doesn’t let go even as Dream stands up. It’s pretty difficult to when there's someone clinging to him but he manages. When he tries to pull Cross off him, Cross holds on tighter and is borderline crying. 

This one is perfect for Nightmare, he needs someone clingy and sensitive. Now the problem is getting Cross off him and keeping both Cross and Ink at his house until presenting Cross to Nightmare.  

\----

He finalized the ‘adoptions’ for Cross and Ink. Dream called a driver to bring them home, despite not still living with his parents in their house, they insisted he call their driver rather than drive himself for some reason. Getting home was the hardest part, while sitting in the back seat with Cross and Ink, Ink decided he didn’t like Cross clinging to Dream and tried pushing Cross away. This resulted in Cross getting upset and pushing back, which led them both into trying to fight each other from their seats. 

Dream had to pull them apart and had to scold them both, Cross cried then clung to him again. Ink crossed his arms and pouted with tears in his eyes. Dream grabbed him and pulled Ink against him, “It’s ok precious, I just don’t want you two to fight.” Ink still pouted but leaned into Dream.

_======_

The day finally rolls around to Nightmares birthday and Dream doesn’t think he could be happier. While having Ink and Cross around is nice, the constant fighting is not so nice. This all started from the moment he left with them both. Cross can’t be alone for more than a couple of minutes and tends to cling to Dream almost every second of the day. This causes Ink to get irritated and start misbehaving to get Dreams attention, and if Cross isn’t clinging on Dream than Ink is. Dream should have expected this but now he can finally give Cross to Nightmare. Telling Cross this was a...prosses. he understands but that doesn’t stop the constant sobbing and begging to not give him up.

Dream likes Cross but he is more work than Dream can handle, especially while having to take care of Ink as well. That’s why he’s perfect for Nightmare, he can give Nightmare a reason to start interacting with others again. Hopefully Cross will help Nightmare get better. Now, should he leave Ink at home or bring him to Nightmares house? He guesses leaving Ink here wouldn't hurt, right?

Wrong. Trying to leave the house with Cross and without Ink proved to not be as easy as he thought, and now he had a sobbing Ink cling to him. While Cross sobbed on the floor. Dream sees why they suggests only getting one and getting used to them before adopting another, especially when they’re both the same types. This is how Dream ends up in the car being drove to Nightmares apartment with two companions on his lap both fighting for his attention at once.

After a long car ride, they arrived at Nightmares apartment. Dream told him he was coming so when he got to the door it's no surprised that its unlocked, once inside he settles Ink down on the couch,

“Stay here okay, I have to introduce Cross to Nightmare.”

Ink just lays himself down on the couch showing no indication he heard Dream and asking like he wasn’t just in a never-ending battle with Cross to get his attention. Dream just leaves him to it and starts to walk to Nightmares room. Walking with Cross on him is not very fun so he just picks him up bridal style and goes to find Nightmare. Which of course means he’s going to his room, Nightmare spends a lot of his time in there, it’s understandable considering his work desktop and other work is in there. Well it would be if he left his room for more than a couple minutes or left his apartment for more than a 20 minute trip to the store one a week.

Dream sets Cross down on his feet once he reaches Nightmares room before knocking on the door, “Nightmare, Stop working and come out! It's your birthday and I got you something!”

Dream yelled out, on the other side of the door he can here Nightmare moving around and hears Nightmare yell back,

“Dream I told you I don’t want anything, you didn’t have to do that. Just hanging out with you is all I want to do tod-” Nightmare cuts himself off as he opens the door and sees Dream standing there with someone clinging to his side.

Dream speaks before Nightmare can, “I know what you’re gonna say and I want you to hear me out first! Nightmare you’ve been hiding yourself away for so long now and I feel like if you had someone to look after, you would be much happier. I know that when we were kids you always looked after me and we’ve been close for so long up until you started living by yourself. This is something I was hesitant to do but so many people say companions can help you. I just want you to be happy again and I know Cross can do that.”

Nightmare doesn't know how to react to Dream getting him a companion, so he just stares for a moment. Sure, Nightmare has been lonely and kind of isolating himself but he a companion. Really? Both him and Dream have been against companions for a while, companion is just a ‘fancy’ word for a slave to make themselves feel better about owning someone else. He really must be worrying Dream if he went to this extreme so he isn't alone. Nightmare doesn’t need Dream looking after him or worrying but knowing Dream he’ll persist until Nightmare at least tries. Besides he can just return or sell Cross back, that may be insensitive, but he doesn’t think he can keep Cross with him if he doesn’t want him around. This companion idea is pretty stupid and Nightmare doesn’t really want to take care of a companion....but for Dream he’ll try. He sighs before saying,

“You know I can't say no to you Dream, even now that we’re grown up.”

  Dream smiles and moves closer, gently coaxing Cross to walk over to Nightmare. “Ok Cross, this is Nightmare. He's going to take care of you ok?”

Dream moved Cross into Nightmares arms with some difficulty, Cross didn’t want to let go of him but he was able to get him off. Cross seemed slightly distressed but just threw his arms around Nightmares neck and buried his head into his neck as well. Nightmare couldn’t help but feel bad, the poor thing was trembling in his arms, he could hear the smaller one weakly muttering,

“p-please....d..n....le....m.”

Nightmare started gently rubbing his back, holding Cross closer to him trying to calm down his trembling. 

“Hey it’s ok, it’s ok, what’s wrong?” 

“p-please..don’t..take me back. I-I can’t g-go back, please Ma-Master.” Cross manages to get out before he breaks down in sobs. It's like he knew Nightmare might return him later. 

Nightmare didn’t want to admit how much he liked being called master and having someone leaning against him. He's only had Cross for 10 minutes and he already feels better than he had in a while, at first he was going to demand Dream take Cross back but after hearing his small plead, he decides against it. Stars, Nightmare really shouldn’t be enjoying how distraught Cross is, but he thinks he can get used to having Cross cling on his all the time. 

“Come on let’s sit in the living room and let you and Cross get to know each other.” Dream suggests.

Nightmare and Cross walked into the living room first, Nightmare looks at the couch to see someone sprawled out over it. He gets a little too close and hears a small growl, Cross clings to him harder and lets out a soft growl back at the skeleton on the couch. The little growl Cross lets out was the cutest sound Nightmare has ever heard, at this point Dream comes in behind them. Hearing the growls getting louder he rushes over and picks the skeleton up.

“Ink stop that! This is my brother and Cross’s new owner.” 

So, Dream got himself a companion too. Ink ignored Dream and just hung onto him, they all settled themselves on the couch. Ink and Cross keep trying to have little fights, they’ll eventually get along but for now they just have to spend some time apart. With Cross staying with Nightmare, Ink should settle down in the future. 

In that moment Ink lunges at Cross, causing the vase next to the couch to fall and shatter on the ground. Dream quickly pulls him back before he can break anything else, and cries out how his papers said he was supposed to be docile and not aggressive.

Well, this is going to be a mess.


End file.
